How To Choose Foods That Heal You

After a weight loss journey in which I lost over 60 pounds, I discovered the most natural path to lasting weight loss is to nourish yourself with real, whole foods. It is possible to heal your body from within — no drugs, diets or deprivation required.

Here are eight things to remember when it comes to healing your body naturally with real foods:

1. Real food grows in nature.

Real food isn't created by a scientist or a food technology expert in a science laboratory. It grows naturally of its own accord, from seeds planted in the earth with the assistance of sunshine and rainwater for energy.

Typically real food is not advertised on television, magazines or newspapers. This is because most real food companies simply cannot afford to spend huge amounts of money on advertising. Marketing and advertising campaigns are a good indication of fake foods.

4. You can read, recognize and pronounce all the ingredients.

When buying something, you should be able to easily read, recognize and pronounce everything that is listed on the ingredient list. The ingredients should be familiar foods, not fancy or foreign sounding words, as these are most likely to be chemical additives, flavorings or preservatives.

5. Real food usually only has a few ingredients.

Usually there are 1-3 ingredients on the ingredient list but certainly no more than 5-6. Watch out for preservatives, flavor enhancers and e-numbers (codes that can be used for food additives).

6. Real food is free of toxic sprays and growth hormones.

This means that the food has been grown with no toxic sprays such as Round-up, pesticides, insecticides and/or herbicides. All of these sprays are poisonous to your immune system and in some cases can cause food sensitivities and allergies. Find food brands you can trust. Alternatively, buy organic or direct from a food producer at a farmers market if possible.

7. Real food has not been genetically modified.

Real food grows naturally without human interference. This means that a tomato has been grown from a real tomato seed, and has not cross-bred with other things like fish genes. When food is genetically modified it might look exactly like the real thing, but your body always knows the truth. One way you can be sure of avoiding food that has been genetically modified is to buy organic food or check that it is non-GMO.

8. Real food has an expiration date.

One way you can easily tell real foods from fake foods is if the food goes moldy or decomposes on its own accord after a few days. Real food should expire naturally within a few days if it is not eaten fresh.

I hope that this checklist helps you to identify and eat more real foods so that you can heal your body naturally and in the process feel healthier and happier.

I talk more about this in my book called 'Losing Weight is a Healing Journey: A Woman's Guide to Losing Weight Naturally'. You can download a free chapter of the book by clicking here.